Biology
This species lives with the narrow half of its shell anchored in the sediment, but the large part of the fragile shell protrudes from the sea floor. Thus, unfortunately it is vulnerable to fishing. The species is also vulnerable to industrial activity.
The shells are anchored to the sand by fine gold-coloured silk produced by special glands. This silk or byssus are fine threads which historically was used to make special royal fabrics. This was called Pinna silk or sea silk, although the species more frequently used was Pinna nobilis of the Mediterranean.
Read more about this topic: Atrina Fragilis
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